Alexander S
“Al” Campanis was born Alessandro Campanion the Greek
island
of Kos on
November 2, 1916. His family came to the
United States
when he was six years old and settled in
New York.

Campanis
graduated from New
YorkUniversity in 1940 and signed with the
Brooklyn Dodgers. He was sent to the Macon Peaches of the South
Atlantic League where he batted .302 in 46 games while playing
second base. In 1941 he joind Reading of the Interstate
League and batted .255 in 108 games. He was with
Knoxville
of the Southern Association in 1942 and
Montreal
of the International League in 1943, making his major league debut
with the Brooklyn Dodgers on September 23. Campanis played seven
games and got two hits in 20 at-bats before the season ended.

In 1944,
Campanis was in military service with the Navy and was stationed at
Norfolk Naval Air Station where he regularly played baseball. In
1945, he was assigned to St AlbansNavalHospital in New York where he coached the baseball team
that summer.

Chief Petty
Officer Campanis was discharged from service late 1945 and rejoined
the Dodgers organization. He played with the pennant-winning
Montreal Royals in 1946 and was with that team in 1947 before ending
his playing days.

Campanis later became a scout
for the Dodgers and is best remembered as the club’s General Manager
from 1968 to 1987.
He was fired as a result of a high-profile incident in which he made
racially insensitive remarks during a live interview on April 6,
1987. Campanis repeatedly tried to justify his remarks in later
years and many other figures in baseball, such as Tom Lasorda and
Don Newcombe, also spoke in his defense.
Broadcaster Vin Scully, said he had known Campanis for 45 years. “He
didn't have a racist bone in his body,” Scully said.

His son, Jim Campanis, played for the Dodgers, Royals and Pirates
between 1966 and 1973.

Al
Campanis passed away at his home in Fullerton,
California
on June 21, 1998 and is buried at Loma Vista Memorial Park.
He was 81.